Fresh floods have been feared in parts of Murshidabad in West Bengal and in Bangladesh as India opened all 119 gates of the Farakka barrage to ensure speedy discharge of the river water.
Even as the release of 2.75 lakh cusecs of water from the Indrapuri barrage across the Sone river on Sunday caused panic among people living in localities around Patna-Danapur road regarding the likely threat of flood from the Ganga.
The work to plug the gaps along the Patna town protection wall started in the evening to prevent any likely entry of floodwater from the Ganga into the city due to sudden intake of water from the Sone river. This, along with the news regarding the release of 2.75 lakh cusecs of water from Indrapuri barrage, made the panic real.
A view of waterlogging on road near Dumra Sheikhpura on Bailey road in Patna on Sunday Pataliputra MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, who was in Rajasthan, contacted Union minister for water resources and requested him to ensure that 119 gates of the Farakka barrage were raised to prevent floods in Patna and 12 other districts, sources close to Prasad said, adding the Union minister would reach Patna on Monday night, reports Times of India.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi also drew the attention of the Centre to the flood situation in UP and Bihar as well as unprecedented waterlogging in Patna. She said floods in the two states had claimed 48 lives, including 13 in Bihar, and requested the Centre to intervene.
Reports about damage to the seven minor embankments in Nalanda and Jehanabad districts and inputs that the Punpun was flowing above danger level also caused panic in the state capital.
On Sunday, seven minor embankments of the water resources department were damaged in Nalanda and Jehanabad districts.
The department said floods in the Joraeen, the Soeba and the Lokaeen rivers flowing through Nalanda district have damaged six minor embankments constructed along the three rivers. Besides, the Bhutahi river has damaged a minor embankment in Jehanabdd district.
BDST: 1100 HRS, OCT 1, 2019
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